Draft operated scraper



Dec. 2 5, 1945.

T. F. MCCARTHY DRAFT OPERATED SCRAPER Filed Jan. 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 hex-45d WEA/TOR Dec. 25, 1945.

T. F. MGCARTHY DRAFT OPERATED SCRAPER Filed Jan. 19, 1945 2 Sheetsf-Sheet Patented Dec. 25, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE y 2,391,584 v DRAFT OPERATED SCRAPER Timothy F. McCarthy, Indiana, Pa.

Application January 19, 1945, Serial No. 573,505

7 Claims.

Ihis invention relates to improvements in draft operated scrapers used for gathering and transporting loose material, such as coal, in mines underground.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide an improved form of scraper'bf the type adapted to travel around a head frame disposed adjacent the working face of a mine and having draft means connected thereto in a novel and eicient manner so as to provide a balanced draft on the scraper in all positions thereof along its head frame, and to maintain the scraper in engagement with its head frame at all times, dur- 'ing travel thereabout.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the scraper shown in Figure 1, with certain parts thereof broken away and certain other parts shown in substantially horizontal section;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view in side elevation of the scraper, looking towards the inner wall thereof;

y and Figure 5 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 5 5 of Figure 2.

In Figure 1 of the drawings my improved form of scraper III is shown as traveling about a head frame II positioned adjacent the working face of a mine, for guiding said scraper for movement along the working face to pick up loose material therefrom. Said head frame is similar to that shown and described in my application Serial No. 568,119, filed December 14, 1944, and is only herein shown in order to illustrate the operation of the improved scraper of my invention, so will not herein be shown or described in detail.

The scraper I0 comprises a body made up of an inner side wall I4 and an outer side wall I5.

Said side walls interleave each other at their rear e ends and are pivotally connected together by means of a pivotal pin I6 extending through the interleaving portions thereof. Said scraper is preferably bottomless and the inner wall I4 is Aformed on an arm conforming substantially to the form of the curved sides of the head frame II, to cause said scraper to conform to the form yoi vsaid head frame as it travels thereabout.

The inner side wall I4 is provided with two longitudinally spaced rollers I'I, II, mounted on vertical pins I8, I8 and partially recessed within said side Wall. Said rollers are adapted to engage a guide rail IS of the head frame I I, to facilitate movement of said scraper about said head frame (see Figure 3). Said pins are mounted adjacent their upper and lower ends in spaced ears 20, secured to and extending outwardly from the recessed portions of said inner side wall.

The outer side wall I5 of the scraper is formed on an arc of a shorter radius than the radius of the arc of the inner side wall, so as to diverge from the rear end of said inner side wall at a relatively sharp angle and then to extend in substantially parallel relation with respect to said inner side wall, at the entering end of said scraper, when said scraper is in an open position. Digger teeth 2|, 2| are provided on the advance edge of said side wall to aid in digging into and picking up the material it is desired to load. An ear 22 extends rearwardly from said rear side wall, adjacent the lower rear end thereof, and is adapted to have a tail rope 23 attached thereto, for pulling the scraper around said head frame in a rearward direction into position-to pick up loose material from the working face of the mine.

A means is provided to yieldably hold the side walls I4 and I5 in spaced apart relation with respect to each other, which as herein shown, includes two telescopic cylinders 24, 25 having a spring 26 mounted therein and engaging the closed outer ends of said cylinders at its opposite ends, to exert a force on said cylinders in direcf tions to urge them away from each other. A rod 2'I is mounted in and extends through the closed outer end of the cylinder 24. The inner end of said rod is encircled by the compression spring 26. The outer end of said rod is turned downwardly and extends through the inwardly facing leg of an angle 29, which extends along the upper inner side of the outer side wall I5. In a like manner, a rod 30 is mountedin and extends through the closed end of the cylinder 24 and has a' downwardly turned outer end, which extends through an angle 3l, mounted on and extending along the upper inner side of the inner side wall I4. Suitable pins or cotter keys may extend through the downwardly turned ends of said rods,Y

to hold them to said angles.

A head rope 33 is provided to move the scraper I0 in a forward direction. Said head rope has an eye 34 secured to its forward end, which is pivotally mounted on a roller 35 rotatably mounted on a pin 36, which is mounted at its opposite ends in opposite side plates 31, 31 of a connecting member 39. A roller 4U is rotatably mounted between the opposite ends of said side plates 31, 31, on a pin 4I which is mounted in said side plates, at its opposite ends. Said last mentioned roller is adapted to engage and ride along the inner sides of two links 43 and 44 pivotally connected together at their inner ends by means of a pivotal pin 45. The outer end of the link 43 is pivotally connected between a pair of connecting ears 46, 46 extending inwardly from the lower forward portion of the inner side wall portion I4, by means of a pivotal pin 41. The link 44 is pivotally connected between a pair of similar connecting ears 49, 49, extending inwardly from the lower forward portion of the outer side wall portion I5, by means of a pivotal pin 5Il.

4The connecting member 39 may thus move along the links 43 and 44 as the position of the scraper changes with respect to its head rope 33. Said links 43, 44 are so proportioned in relation to the width of the scraper that when the'scraper moves in a forward direction along the curved portion of the head frame I I and initially digs into the coal, to load itself, the connecting member 39 will move into the position shown in Figures l and 2, so that the pull of said head rope on said scraper will tend to hold the inner wall portion of said scraper against said head frame and will be directly in line with the sheaves mounted on said head frame. Also, when said scraper turns around said head frame away from the working face into the straight part of said head frame, extending along a rib of the mine room, the connecting member 39 will move along said links to a po- Y sition adjacent the central portion of said connecting links, to move said scraper in a straight path along the retreating side of said head frame.

While I have herein shown and described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting my invention to the specific embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a scraper device of the class described, two

wall portions pivotally connected adjacent their rear ends for lateral movement with respect to each other, means for urging said wall portions laterally away from each other, two rigid pivotally connected links connecting said wall portions together, and a head rope connected to said links for slidable movement therealong to produce a balanced draft on said scraper in all positions thereof with respect to said head rope.

2. In a scraper device of the class described, two wall portions pivotally connected adjacent their rear ends for lateral movement with respect to each other, @sans for urging said wall portions laterally away from each other, two pivotally connected links connecting said wall portions together, a head rope, a connecting member mounted on said links for slidable movement therealong and forming a means for connecting said head rope to said links to produce a balanced draft on said scraper in all positions of said head rope with respect thereto.

3. In a scraper of the class adapted to travel around a head frame at the working face of a mine, said scraper having an inner side wall portion adapted to slidably engage said head frame, an outer side wall portion pivotally connected at its rear end to the rear end of said inner side wall portion and extending outwardly from and forwardly along said inner side wall portion, yieldable means for urging said side wall portions in directions away from each other, but permitting said scraper to collapse when being pulled backwardly, two links pivotally connected together at their inner ends and pivotally connected to said side wal1 portions adjacent their outer ends, and a head rope connected to said links for slidable movement therealong so as to produce a draft on said scraper through said head rope which will hold said inner wall portion in engagement with said head frame at al1 times during travel thereabout.

4. In a scraper of the class adapted to travel around a head frame at the working face of a mine, said scraper having an inner side wall portion adapted to slidably engage said head frame, an outer side wall portion pivotally connected at its rear end to the rear end of said inner side wall portion and extending outwardly from and forwardly along said inner side wall portion, yieldable means for urging said side wall portions in directions away from each other, but permitting said scraper to collapse when being pulled in a rearward direction, two rigid links pivotally connected together and pivotally connected to said side wall portions, adjacent the forward ends thereof, a head rope for moving said scraper in a forward direction, and

a connecting member mounted on said links for slidable movement therealong and having said head rope pivotally connected thereto so as to produce a draft on said scraper through said head rope which will hold said inner wall portion in engagement with' said head frame at all times during travel thereabout.

5. In a scraper of the class adapted to travel around a head frame at the working face of a mine, said head frame being of the type which has. curved ends at opposite sides of the working face to guide said scraper into and away from the working face, said scraper having an inner side wall portion formed on an arc substantially conforming to the form of the curved ends of said head frame, an outer side wall portion pivotally connected at its rear end to the rear end of said inner side wall' portion and formed substantially on an arc, which is of a shorter radius than the radius of the arc of said inner side wall portion, a tail rope connected to said outer side wall portion, adjacent the rear end thereof, yieldable means connected between the upper ends of said side wall portions, for urging said side wall portions laterally away from each other, but permitting said side wall portions to collapse, when moved rearwardly through the loose material it is desired to load, two pivotally connected rigid links pivotally connected at their outer ends to said side wall portions adjacent the forward ends thereof, and a head rope connected to said links for slidable movement therealong so as to pro'duce a draft on said scraper through said head rope which will hold said inner wall portion in engagement with said head frame at all times during travel thereabout.

6. In a scraper of the class adapted to travel around a head frame at the working face of a mine, said head frame being of the type which has curved ends at opposite sides of the working face to guide said scraper into and awayfrom the working face, said scraper having an inner side wall portion formed on an arc substantially conforming to the form of the curved ends of said head frame, an outer side wall portion pivotally connected at its rear end to the rear end of said inner side wall portion and formed substantially on an arc, which is of a shorter radius than the radius of the arc of said inner side wall portion, yieldable means connected1 between the upper ends of said side wall portions, for urging said side wall portions laterally away from each other, `but permitting said side wall portions to collapse, when moved rearwardly through' the loose material it is desired to load, two pivotally connected rigid links pivotally connected at their outer ends to said side wall portions, adjacent the lower forward ends thereof, a connecting member mounted on said links for slidable movement therealong, and a head rope connected to said connecting member, to move said connecting member along said links as the position of said scraper changes, so as to produce a draft on said scraper which will be .balanced at all times and will hold said inner wall portion in engagement with said head frame at all times during travel th'ereabout.

7. Ina scraper of the class adapted to travel around a head frame at th'e working face of a mine, said head frame being of the type which has curved ends at opposite sides of the working face to guide said scraper into and away from the Working face, said scraper having an inner side wall portion formed on an arc substantially conforming to the form of the curved ends of said head frame, an cuter side wall portion pivotally connected at its rear end to the rear end of said inner side wall portion and formed substantially on an arc, which is of a shorter radius th'an the radius of the arc of said inner side wall portion, a tail rope connected to said outer side wall portion adjacent its lower rear end, for moving said scraper in a rearward direction, yieldable means connected between the upper ends of said side wall portions, adjacent the forward ends thereof, for urging said side wall portions laterally away from each other, but permitting said side wall portions to collapse, when moved rearwardly through the loose material it is desired to load, a head rope for moving said scraper in aforward direction, and means connecting said head rope to said scraper so as to produce a draft on said scraper which' will hold said inner side wall portion in engagement with said head frame at al1 times during travel thereabout including two pivotally connected rigid links, pivotal connections between the other ends of said links and the forhaving said head rope connected to one end there- 

